What is Nuclear Heart Scan used for?

Nuclear heart scan is used to diagnose heart conditions

It checks how blood is flowing to the heart muscle

The diagnosis looks for damaged heart muscle

The test determines how well your heart pumps blood to your body

A nuclear heart scan is a diagnostic procedure that allows health professionals to retrieve important information about the health of your heart. In a nuclear heart scan, a safe, radioactive substance called a tracer is injected into your bloodstream through a vein. The tracer travels to your heart and releases energy. Special cameras outside of your body detect the energy and use it to create pictures of your heart.

Blood flow – It checks how blood is flowing to the heart muscle. If part of the heart muscle isn't getting blood, it may be a sign of coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. CHD can lead to angina, heart attack, and other heart problems. When a nuclear heart scan is done for this purpose, it's called myocardial perfusion scanning

Heart muscle – The diagnosis looks for damaged heart muscle. Damage may be the result of a previous heart attack, injury, infection, or medicine. When a nuclear heart scan is done for this purpose, it's called myocardial viability testing

Heart function – The test determines how well your heart pumps blood to your body. When a nuclear heart scan is done for this purpose, it's called ventricular function scanning

In the procedure, two sets of pictures are taken. The first set is taken right after a stress test, while your heart is beating fast. During a stress test, you exercise to make your heart work better and beat faster. If you can't exercise, you may be given medicine to increase your heart rate. This is called a pharmacological stress test.

The second set of pictures is taken later, while your heart is at rest and beating at a normal rate.

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